Come on, mood shift, shift back to good again

And continuing on with 2007, where the key word is "leakage". I'm not sure when record companies will start to figure out that maybe they should release records when the music is ready to see the light of day instead of waiting for the plum marketing times. Hopefully, they'll figure it out soon, but until they do...

Of Montreal, "Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse" (listen)
Almost a deacade ago (!), in a fit of musical exploration, I bought Of Montreal's The Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy. And hated it. Absolutely hated it. This hate went so deep that I refused to give a chance to any other Of Montreal album, in spite of their increasingly rave reviews.

But something in me softened, maybe because of time or maybe because I've learned to like songs in spite of their presentation thanks to people like Joanna Newsom and Fiery Furnaces, and I decided to follow up on the gushing given to their new album. I'm glad I did: it's fantastic. All of the annoying, artsy elements are still there, but the hooks and melodies are so great that they overcome the quirks. This song in particular has such a fantastic chorus ("Come on, chemicals..." I love even typing it out!) that it could succeed even if it had a more ridiculous title. And it couldn't have a more ridiculous title.

Field Music, "In Context" (listen)
I sometimes wish I was in Field Music. All the stops and starts and quick time signature changes would be a blast to play, and they never come off as pretentious or bloated. In fact, the melodies and hooks couldn't be lovelier. They never get to the trascendent level, but they're always heart-meltingly lovely. For what it's worth, the album Tones of Town comes highly recommended from me.

Dean & Britta, "You Turned My Head Around" (listen)
Here's a riddle for you:

Q: I am a great song on a pleasant but unremarkable album. My arrangement is immediately different from the songs around me. The singing on me is about 1000 times more heartfelt, confident and belted-out than anything else around me, as though Neko Case stepped in for a cameo on the chorus. I stand out from the rest of the album not only in quality, but in personality. What am I?

A: A cover.

The Postmarks, "Goodbye" (listen)
If you're planning a romantic evening for your special someone with scented candles and rose petals, you'd do worse than to have The Postmarks playing in the background. And I'm sure they not only know this, but strive for it, casting melody, interesting rhythms and variety as unrequited outsiders to the lovers Sexy and Chill. This song is a rise on this record, with a lovely chorus melody/harmony that improves on the monotonous pleasantries of the rest of the record. The Postmarks are definitely a mood band, though the mood is, "One romantic gesture isn't going to fix all our problems."

The Good, The Bad & The Queen, "Kingdom of Doom" (listen)
One man's hash is another man's pleasure. Somehow, Damon Albarn manages to see some great melodies through the pot haze, making a record that is surprisingly enjoyable in spite of the fact that it rides the same stoned-out grooves that have been playing since Blur's 13. It'd be great to hear Damon going at it with some energy again, but his lethargy is still pretty damn entertaining.